Gas meter



Aug. 26 1924.

G.A.LANE

GAS METER Filed Jan. 9. 1919 2 Shoots-Shoe 1 Aug. 26, 1924. 1,506,313

G. A. LANE GAS METER Filed Jan. 9. 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 26, 192

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. LANE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN METER COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ens METER.

Application filed January 9, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas Meters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dry type gas meters, and more particularly to a novel manner of constructing the valve covers, and the valve operating arms employed in such meters.

The object of the invention is to provide means for simultaneously driving the cover from both the front and back of the cover, thus overcoming the tendency of the valve cover to tip, as would be the case if the valve arm were at one point only.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the valve operating arm, and so connect with the cover, that it will allow a long arc of back drive, thus reducing the side pull and thrust on the cover, while at the same time, lessening the tendency of the long arm to bend or buckle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the course of the following description.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a meter, with the top plate'removed, showing the valves, valve seats, valve arms and connected parts in plan.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the valves, taken about on line a-a Figure 1, also showing a portion of the valve table and portions of the gas channels below the table, different positions of the valve cover being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a transverse section of one of the valves, taken about on line b?) of F igure 1.

Referring to the drawings. the numeral 1 designates the meter casing of ordinaryconstruction, and formed with a back plate 2, front plate 3 and side plates 4 and 5, the casing being provided with the usual inlet 6 and outlet 7. The meter casing, it will be understood, is further made up by a top and bottom plate, not shown. The numeral 9 designates a valve table, and 10 a housing arranged on said table, which housing is completed in the finished meter, by a plate which is soldered to the housing and which covers the valves and valve Serial No. 270,303.

covers, thus forming a gas chamber 11, in

which the valves, the crank, and certain connected parts operate. Communicating with this housing is a channel 12 which communicates with the inlet 6.

The valves are identical in construction and a description of one will serve as a description of both. The valve seat is desig nated by the numeral 13. This seat is provided with a diaphragm port 14, an outlet port 15, and casing port 16, which are defined by side bars 17, outer cross bars 18, and inner cross bars 19.

Arranged for reciprocatory movement on the seat is a valve cover 20, provided with a rear flange 21, and front flange 22, which are in the same plane, the flanges being of a depth to properly open and close the diaphragm and casing ports, and permit the gas to flow from either the diaphragms or the casing, into the outlet port. The valve cover is formed with a semi-circular cylindrical dome-shape portion 28, through which the gas passes from the casing, and diaphragm ports, to the outlet port, during the reciprocation of the cover.

The numeral 24 designates the valve arm which is pivotally connected to a stub shaft 25, carried by the boss 26, which in turn, is carried by the pin 27 firmly held in a socket 28 in the rear of the dome portion of the valve, the pin 27 being mounted above the flange 21. The arm 24 is formed with a bowed portion 29, conforming to the curvature of the dome portion of the valve, and the inner portion of the arm is straight and in line with the front straight portion of the arm, and carries an antifriction roller 30, mounted upon a short headed shaft 3.1 carried by the inner part of the valve arm. Immediately below this roller 1 provide a bracket 32 of considerable length, and which is mounted on the inner flange 22 of the valve cover and extends for a considerable distance along the face of the flange. Mounted on this bracket is a guide bracket 33 having therein a curved slot 34 through which the antifriction roller 30 extends, and against the inner edges of which, said roller has a bearing. The inner end of the arm is connected with a crank 35, in the usual Way, there being, as shown, and as suggested, another valve arm extending to the other valve, and connected with the same crank, so that the reciprocations of the valve covers will be simultaneous, and in proper coordination with the other operative parts of the meter.

The crank is, as usual, formed on the operating shaft 36, which operating shaft extends above the housing 10, Where it has a bearing in a bracket 37. The operating shaft is provided with the usual threaded tangent 38 which carries an adjusting nut 39, to which are pivotally connected the inner ends of links 40 which have their other ends connected at '41, to the arms 42 of the flagstaffs 43, which pass through suitable stuffing boxes 44 on the valve table 9, and in the finished meter, extend below the valve table, where they areprovided with the usual flags and connections with the dia, phragms, so that the usual expanding and collapsing of the diaphragms will be communicated to the operating shaft, and thence to the valve covers through the valve arms.

The operating shaft is provided with worm 45 in mesh withthe gear 46, carried by thedial shaft 47 which is provided with a suitable bearing on the housing 10, and a bearing in the front of the meter, which shaft extends to and forms a part of a suitableregistering mechanism at the front of the meter, which mechanism may be of any approved kind.

The valve covers are guided on their seats by guidebars 48,.firmly secured to the valve table and formed with a horizontal upper portion 49, which overhangs a short flange 50 on each side of the valve cover.

With referenceparticularly to Figure 2, the numeral. '51, designates the diaphragm channel communicating with the diaphragm port 14, and the numeral 52 designates the.

outlet channel communicating with t'he outlet p'ort'e15, whereas the casing port 16 opens into the casing as shown.

I-n the operation 01' the meter, when the operating shaft, is rotated, reciprocatory,

movement will be imparted to the valve covers through the valve arms, the valve arms describing the usual are in such movement, but it will be observed that the connection between the valve arms and thevalve covers is, by reason of the pivotal connection of the arm with the rear part of the valve and the variable connection of the arm with the cover through the slot and roller connection, at all times at two points, the front point being a shiftable connection, whereas the rear point of connection "remains the same, relative to the cover.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1

'1. In a gas meter, in combination, a suitable casing, a valve table in "said casing, a valve seat, a valve cover onsaid seat, an operating shaft, a valve arm connecting the shaft with the cover, said arm being pivotally connected at its front end with the rear part of the cover,'and provided at an intermediate portion with an antif'rifcti on roller, a bracket carried by'the cover and having a curved slot therein, which receives the antifriction roller, whereby two connections between the valve arm and the cover are obtained for reci 'orocating the cover.

2. In a gas meter, in combination, a suitable ca'sing, a valve table, a valve seat on said table, a valve cover on said seat formed with a dome-shape central portion, an operating shaft, a continuous valve operating arm having its front end pivotally'eonriected with the rear of the valve'cover on one side of the dome-shape portion, and an intermediate portion of said arm being movably connected with the valve cover at the opposite side of the dome portion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- GEORGE A. LANE.

Witnesses: 1

Geo. D. BURNS, AL. LINDE. 

